Difficulty praying

[rahulpatel1985]

Hiya guys. just wanted to ask if any of you had a problem praying. i mean, i so want to pray alot of the time, but find myself unable to do so any of you have advice for me?

Also, when you pray, what do you picture? do you picture a portrait of God? I've forgotten how to pray...

 

[ebia]

Hiya guys. just wanted to ask if any of you had a problem praying. i mean, i so want to pray alot of the time, but find myself unable to do so any of you have advice for me?

Also, when you pray, what do you picture? do you picture a portrait of God? I've forgotten how to pray...

I know exactly how you feel. My advice would be to pick up a bible - preferably one that captures the poetry of the bible well - and pray through bits of that. The Psalms are obvious, but I'm finding Isaiah 40 onwards helpful at the moment.

 

[elephunky]

I honestly dont formally pray, I find it rather uncomfortable and unnatural.

If i want to talk to god, i just address him in my head. No matter what im doing, i could be working on a document and Ill say something to him

 

[Kaylin]

I have problems with praying too, at times, so I understand where you're coming from. What I do is like dGirl1986 - I just address God like a friend. I figure that He knows me better than anyone else, and so He will understand. He just wants me to talk to Him and get to know Him better and listen to Him.

Also, there are times when I can't put what I'm feeling into words, so I just throw the emotions at God and hope He can sort them out - I think He's big enough and strong enough to be able to handle anything I can throw at him. I literally just let my emotions carry my prayers, and there will be very few words, if any - just a feeling of complete gratitude and thankfulness, or of terror and fear and needing help, or of confusion. He knows me and He loves me enough to hold me through those prayers when I'm so upset.

That's how I deal with praying. I can't do the formal prayers like a lot of people. I don't feel like I really connect to God that way.

So... I hope this helped some.

 

[Criada]

I have problems with praying too, at times, so I understand where you're coming from. What I do is like dGirl1986 - I just address God like a friend. I figure that He knows me better than anyone else, and so He will understand. He just wants me to talk to Him and get to know Him better and listen to Him.

Also, there are times when I can't put what I'm feeling into words, so I just throw the emotions at God and hope He can sort them out - I think He's big enough and strong enough to be able to handle anything I can throw at him. I literally just let my emotions carry my prayers, and there will be very few words, if any - just a feeling of complete gratitude and thankfulness, or of terror and fear and needing help, or of confusion. He knows me and He loves me enough to hold me through those prayers when I'm so upset.

That's how I deal with praying. I can't do the formal prayers like a lot of people. I don't feel like I really connect to God that way.

So... I hope this helped some.

This.
Praying isn't a formula, there isn't a right way to do it... at the moment, I generally just cry. And that's ok... He understands, He sees, and He accepts it. I hope that I will get back eventually to the point where I can just sit and love Him and worship him.. again, without words. He knows all you are thinking or feeling... prayer really is just a turning of the heart towards Hi, offering Him what you have, what you are, lifting others to Him.. he knows their needs too.
Just.. be with Him.

 

[revanneosl]

All Christians go through periods in their lives when prayer is difficult, nigh unto impossible. When the heavens seem closed and we feel as if we are talking to air.

That is one of the reasons that I value having adopted the discipline of daily ordered prayer. I have prayed "Daily Morning Prayer: Rite 2" out of the Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer every morning for the past 19 years.

Having that commitment in my life has blessed me in many ways, but one of the most important ways it's blessed me is that it has gotten me through those periods when I didn't have a heart for prayer. When I didn't have the words to lift up to God, my prayer book gave me the words - which was a real comfort.

If you're interested in some of the other blessings of a discipline of daily ordered prayer, I'm going to list them below. If not, you can just skip the rest of this post.

1. The BCP rite of Morning Prayer is intensely scriptural. The prayers themselves are constructed from the words of scripture; the canticles and Psalms are scripture, and the lectionary of daily readings takes one through the entire Bible every two years. By engaging in daily ordered prayer, I have become far more steeped in scripture than I ever would have been without it.
2. The BCP rite of Moning Prayer is comprevensive. With its guidance, each day I praise God, reflect upon my sins, receive the Good News of forgiveness, read & reflect upon scripture, profess the historic faith of the church, and lift up the world, the church and the needs of all humanity in supplication to God. It leaves nothing out. It allows me to begin each day with an awareness of and recommitment to the entire scope of the christian life.
3. The BCP ite of Morning Prayer is catholic in the original sense of that word - which is to say that it bears structural and textual similarity to the prayer practice of millions of other Christians around the world, and down throughout the ages. When I pray - I have a sense of my unity with the whole church in every time and place, which is a great comfort to me when I feel alone & isolated in my attempt to lead an authentically Christian life.
4. The BCP rite of Morning Prayer has been pragmaticaly helpful to me. I am a better Christian (more loving, more forgiving, more diligent at resisting temptations to sin) since I started using it. My hand to God, brothers & sisters: if it weren't for the discipline of daily morning prayer, I am firmly convinced that I would no longer be married, no longer be a pastor, and would more than likely be viewing life through the bottom of a vodka bottle.

I cannot recommend it more highly - though I understand that it is not for everyone.

 

[ERice2nd]

I honestly dont formally pray, I find it rather uncomfortable and unnatural.

If i want to talk to god, i just address him in my head. No matter what im doing, i could be working on a document and Ill say something to him

I have problems with praying too, at times, so I understand where you're coming from. What I do is like dGirl1986 - I just address God like a friend. I figure that He knows me better than anyone else, and so He will understand. He just wants me to talk to Him and get to know Him better and listen to Him.

Also, there are times when I can't put what I'm feeling into words, so I just throw the emotions at God and hope He can sort them out - I think He's big enough and strong enough to be able to handle anything I can throw at him. I literally just let my emotions carry my prayers, and there will be very few words, if any - just a feeling of complete gratitude and thankfulness, or of terror and fear and needing help, or of confusion. He knows me and He loves me enough to hold me through those prayers when I'm so upset.

That's how I deal with praying. I can't do the formal prayers like a lot of people. I don't feel like I really connect to God that way.

So... I hope this helped some.

This.
Praying isn't a formula, there isn't a right way to do it... at the moment, I generally just cry. And that's ok... He understands, He sees, and He accepts it. I hope that I will get back eventually to the point where I can just sit and love Him and worship him.. again, without words. He knows all you are thinking or feeling... prayer really is just a turning of the heart towards Hi, offering Him what you have, what you are, lifting others to Him.. he knows their needs too.
Just.. be with Him.

I will like to add my 2 cents to these posts, this is exactly what I do also. I believe prayer is an attitude of wanting to be with God in communion and fellowship. I mean there is Jesus' prayer but didnt he say "if you must pray then pray this way"? I think just addressing God in your mind like dGirl said works just as well, speak your mind, God doesnt want chants or many fancy words, just open your heart to him and pour out all you are feeling, be they diffecult times or feelings of thanksgiving.

 

[rahulpatel1985]

thanks guys.. this has helped lots. thanks alot.